Largo Desolato

Duration

Author

Station

Radio 3

Episodes

Series

Repeated

Comments

DO3

2012041520120415 (BBC7)20131225 (BBC7)

|Theatre critic Michael Billington introduces a classic play from the archives by Czech playwright and President, Vaclav Havel, to mark Havel's death in December last year.|When the death of the former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel was announced last year, Europe lost one of its great dissident voices. From the 1960s to the 1980s, BBC radio broadcast many new productions of Havel's plays - plays that were usually banned in his then-Communist homeland because of the way they mocked and interrogated the absurd nature of totalitarian rule.|Michael Billington, theatre-critic for the Guardian for much of this period, introduces another chance to hear a 1987 Havel black comedy called Largo Desolato in an English version by Tom Stoppard, himself born in Czechoslovakia.|Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero -|Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers|Edward....Paul Gregory|Suzanna....Jennifer Piercey|First Sidney....Philip Jackson|Second Sidney....David Goodland|Lucy....Belinda Lang|Bertram....John Moffatt|First Chap....Anthony Jackson|Second Chap....Ian Thompson|Marguerite....Sue Broomfield|Produced by Matthew Walters|Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero - Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers|Richard Briers stars in a black comedy by Czech playwright and President Vaclav Havel.

Episodes

Series

Repeated

Comments

DO3

2012041520120415 (BBC7)20131225 (BBC7)

|Theatre critic Michael Billington introduces a classic play from the archives by Czech playwright and President, Vaclav Havel, to mark Havel's death in December last year.|When the death of the former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel was announced last year, Europe lost one of its great dissident voices. From the 1960s to the 1980s, BBC radio broadcast many new productions of Havel's plays - plays that were usually banned in his then-Communist homeland because of the way they mocked and interrogated the absurd nature of totalitarian rule.|Michael Billington, theatre-critic for the Guardian for much of this period, introduces another chance to hear a 1987 Havel black comedy called Largo Desolato in an English version by Tom Stoppard, himself born in Czechoslovakia.|Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero -|Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers|Edward....Paul Gregory|Suzanna....Jennifer Piercey|First Sidney....Philip Jackson|Second Sidney....David Goodland|Lucy....Belinda Lang|Bertram....John Moffatt|First Chap....Anthony Jackson|Second Chap....Ian Thompson|Marguerite....Sue Broomfield|Produced by Matthew Walters|Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero - Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers|Richard Briers stars in a black comedy by Czech playwright and President Vaclav Havel.